This disclosure relates broadly and generally to an apparatus and method for cleaning an elevated camera, and in one exemplary application, to an apparatus and method for cleaning a military surveillance camera in situ at an operational altitude high above a ground elevation. The camera may be mounted atop a Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment (RAID) tower designed for persistent long-range surveillance and rangefinding. Such cameras support a variety of missions ranging from force protection to force projection to border surveillance for domestic homeland security.